Among display apparatuses, a liquid crystal display apparatus is thin and features low power consumption.
The liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight unit.
The display panel includes a color filter substrate (CF substrate) with a plurality of color filters, a thin film transistor substrate (TFT substrate) with a plurality of thin film transistors (hereinafter referred to as TFTs) which are switching elements, and a liquid crystal layer provided as a display medium layer. The TFT substrate is arranged opposite the CF substrate with a predetermined gap maintained by a spacer, and the liquid crystal layer is arranged between the opposing CF and TFT substrates.
The TFT substrate is provided with a plurality of gate lines (scanning lines) and a plurality of source lines (signal lines) crossing the gate lines over an insulating layer. The pixel-switching TFTs are formed near crossing points of the gate lines and the source lines.
The TFT substrate is produced by repeatedly performing processes such as deposition, photoresist film formation, exposure, developing, etching, and detachment of the photoresist film. Washing may be also performed before and after the processes. The CF substrate is produced through a plurality of processes.
A substrate transfer apparatus is used for transferring a substrate such as the above-described TFT substrate to and from each processing apparatus, or washing the substrate while transferring the substrate.
The substrate transfer apparatus includes a plurality of transfer rollers, a plurality of transfer shafts each provided in a transfer roller, and a plurality of motors. The substrate transfer apparatus also includes a transfer roller rotating section which rotates the transfer rollers through rotation of the transfer shafts, a plurality of lidded cylindrical guide rollers, and two roller holding sections for holding the transfer rollers and the guide rollers (as in Patent Literature 1, for example). The transfer shafts are arranged in a transfer direction of the substrate, and are located such that the transfer rollers make contact with a lower surface of the substrate. Each guide roller is located between two transfer shafts so that a side surface thereof may make contact with a long edge surface of the substrate.
Each roller holding section includes a plate frame section, supporting shafts, and coupling sections. The plate frame section is a long and thin longitudinally placed rectangular plate. The plate frame section supports each transfer shaft on an upper surface of the plate frame section. Each coupling section is perpendicularly mounted to a lower portion of the plate frame section. An upper end of each supporting shaft supports a guide roller through a bearing. The bearing is prevented from moving in an axial direction by a snap ring located on an inner peripheral surface of an opening of the guide roller.